A significant advance in the design of chance-controlled mechanisms is reflected in U.S. Pat. No. 4,953,864 to Katz (the “Katz '864 patent”). The Katz '864 patent teaches an apparatus and method involving selecting at random relatively indistinguishable bar magnets or other magnetized objects and bringing them into the proximity of each other to allow the magnets to exhibit attraction or repulsion. When the device is used for consultation of the I-Ching, the chance occurrence of the magnetic interaction between the bar magnets is used to select a predetermined visually apparent representation of either a broken or solid line to enable the user to determine the state of a line and to obtain a sufficient number of such lines to complete an I-Ching hexagram. The Katz '864 patent also teaches using a holder frame to retain the magnets in appropriate alignment so that the magnets in proximity to each other are retained in alignment to represent a solid or broken line.
The Katz '864 patent also teaches determining a “weak” or “changing” state by the magnetic interaction between a pair of magnets through usage of a marking on a face of the magnets with the presence or absence of the marked face in the resulting line indicating whether the line is “weak” or “changing”. However a disadvantage of this configuration is that since the marking is visible, the magnets are not indistinguishable and the user is able to consciously or unconsciously choose a particular magnet or position of a magnet when making their selection.
The Katz '864 patent also discloses providing a chance controlled mechanism for generating a visually apparent representation of a “weak” or “changing” line by placing three relatively indistinguishable magnets aligned end to end within a single longitudinal groove of a holder. The user then observes the magnetic interaction between the two adjacent pairs of magnetic poles. The four total possible reactions for the two pairs of interacting poles allows the user to assign “solid” or “broken” lines as well as assign “weak” or “changing” states to the four magnetic interactions. A disadvantage with this device is that the probabilities created by this device are not reflective of the traditional chances for obtaining a representation of a “weak” or “changing” state for a line in an I-Ching hexagram.
The present invention concerns an improvement of the invention taught by the Katz '864 patent which provides for an apparatus and method for chance controlled formation of a symbol through the use of magnetic interactions between magnets wherein separate poles of a magnet simultaneously react with poles on other magnets to provide an increased number of possible magnetic interactions for improved consultation of the I-Ching. The presence of three pairs of interacting magnetic poles provides a probability of ⅛ for a “changing” broken line or ⅛ for a “changing” solid line which is reflective of the traditional probability for obtaining such representations. Furthermore, the magnets need no markings and the relatively short magnets will be virtually indistinguishable from each other to avoid conscious or unconscious “cheating” when choosing magnets.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for chance controlled formation of a symbol that utilizes at least one magnetic body which reacts with poles on a plurality of other magnets to provide an increased number of magnetic interactions and allow the determination of whether a line is “solid” or broken” and whether it has a “changing” state and having a probability for such a changing state reflective of the traditional probability therefor;
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for improved chance controlled formation of a symbol through the use of magnetic interactions which determine whether a line is “solid” or “broken” and whether it has a “changing” state through the use of relatively indistinguishable magnets and having a probability for such a changing state reflective of a traditional probability therefor;
It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for improved chance controlled formation of a symbol through the use of magnetic interactions between magnets that is portable and economical to manufacture.